Engineering Multifunctional Materials for Precision Therapeutics
Electrospun Fibres and Functional Scaffolds
Electrospinning enables the fabrication of fibrous architectures with tunable fibre morphology, porosity, surface chemistry and mechanical properties. These characteristics can be engineered to control therapeutic incorporation, diffusion and release while providing structures that support tissue integration and repair.
Our research focuses on developing electrospun platforms for localised and sustained delivery of bioactive agents, including nitric oxide donors, antimicrobial peptides and other therapeutic molecules. We investigate how polymer composition, processing conditions, fibre architecture and degradation behaviour influence drug release, mechanical performance and biological responses.
Applications include advanced wound dressings, infection-resistant materials and regenerative scaffolds, with particular emphasis on integrating therapeutic functionality with structural and biological performance.
Nanoparticle Engineering and Targeted Drug Delivery
Nanoparticle-based delivery systems offer opportunities to improve the stability, bioavailability and intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Our research investigates lipid-based and polymeric nanocarriers for the encapsulation and delivery of small molecules, peptides and nucleic acid therapeutics.
We examine how particle size, surface charge, composition, encapsulation efficiency and colloidal stability influence therapeutic loading, release, cellular uptake and biological activity. Formulation optimisation is combined with physicochemical characterisation and in vitro biological evaluation to establish relationships between nanoparticle properties and therapeutic performance.
Current research includes the development of lipid nanoparticles for microRNA delivery in lung cancer, alongside nanocarrier systems for antimicrobial and other therapeutic applications.
Hydrogels and Injectable Gels
Hydrogels provide versatile matrices for localised therapeutic delivery, offering tunable mechanical properties, water content, degradation behaviour and drug release characteristics. Their ability to conform to complex tissue geometries makes them particularly attractive for wound management, tissue repair and minimally invasive therapeutic administration.
We develop polymeric hydrogels, emulsion-based gels and injectable formulations for the controlled delivery of bioactive molecules, including antimicrobial peptides and quaternary ammonium compounds.
Our research investigates formulation microstructure, rheological behaviour, injectability, encapsulation and release kinetics, alongside antimicrobial efficacy and host cell compatibility. Particular emphasis is placed on developing formulations that maintain therapeutic activity under physiologically relevant conditions and provide sustained local exposure.
Patient specific 3D-Printed Biomaterials
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of biomaterials with precisely controlled geometries, internal architectures and spatial distributions of therapeutic agents. These capabilities provide opportunities to develop patient-specific constructs, multifunctional scaffolds and drug delivery devices with tailored structural and biological properties.
Our research focuses on the formulation of printable biomaterial inks and the relationships between rheological properties, processing conditions, printability, structural fidelity and functional performance.
We investigate how material chemistry and manufacturing parameters influence mechanical properties, therapeutic release and biological responses, supporting the development of 3D-printed systems for infection control, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
We are also incorporating machine learning and data-driven approaches to predict formulation behaviour, optimise printability and accelerate materials development.